just been up to school

[pingu]

Hi again.

I was asked to go to the school today to meet with senco and this other lady who sort of works between home and school ?? anyway they ask me to be there for 8.30. = no chance. lol. i arrive just after 9, to be told the senco woundnt be able to make it because she has an appointment, which is ok i know shes been unwell so ianyway this lady asks me to go back tomorow instead, in my placid (BIDING MY TIME) MOOD i said that would be fine. (gives me another day to gather my point together).

 

anyway. what im trying to get at is that she showed me a programme on the computer which they are intending to use on K, and was very enthusiastic to its "success rate", im wondering if you have any opinions,

 

Its basically a programe which shows your heartbeat via a little thing attached to your finger, on the screen is the heart reading (squiggly lines) and little charts of various colours - the idea is the "subject" coinciously thinks about their heartbeat, they have to breath out for five seconds and then breath in for 5, and so on, She explained it puts your body back in sync and makes you less stressed. then went on to say that when you are relaxed the program gets you to think of a happy feeling and how it made you feel, (all the time remembering that breathing in and out thing) Basically its a form of relaxation.

They think it will work for kieran (to enable him to "focus for the day")

 

Id like to gather some opinions before i give my own. but here are the aims of the programme in brief just to clarify:

 

1) gets you to think about your breathing

2) by breathing 5 in and 5 out, it releases hormones which make you happy

3) by been happy and stress free you work better

4) used for anger management and relaxation mostly

 

do you think this programme will work on k? Given the fact that we have, - by the time we get to the school gates on a morning, been up since 6am going through his routines and meltdown his worries and fears and everything else he has to do on a morning. sp by the time school time rolls around he is ready for the class. - im dubious. for many many reasons, but i would like your views first please

 

shaz

[smiley]

Hi Pingu,

 

It really depends on K's level of undersanding. Would he understand that the wiggly line was him? Would he understand that his heart is what pumps his blood around? Would he be able to understand that slowing his breathing down would slow down his heart rate? Would he understand that all of this would make a nice feeling for him? Can he recognise 'nice feelings'?

 

 

A lot depends on him - and how they approach it. I can imagine someone sticking something onto my sons finger and telling him to breath deeply would most likey be met with a swift kick! But, at home i do deep breathing excersises with my son. Before i even began this - i explained, in a way he could understand - about how his body works (almost like a machine) and how relaxing his body would make his headaches and 'scrunched' muscles relax......

 

On a positive note - i do think it's a great idea (if it's suitable to the child). From my own experience it has been hugely benificial for me. It has allowed me to de-stress, but also, more importantly - made the connection between 'my body' and 'me'. Quite often autistic children/people find this difficult. I had (and still have) a sense of 'me' and a sense of 'the body i was in', but the two very rairly work together!! Getting them in sync can only be a good thing .

[rach04]

i agree with smiley. J has more programmes then lessons at the minute something i will have to discuss with the ep as he cant take his mind off one to do another if you get my meaning. But if it works for him..... goodluck <'>

[barefoot wend]

I am a believer in relaxation techniques and breathing slowly as an aid to prevent panic but I know that if they tried this on my son that he'd start thinking 'too hard' about his heartbeat and get stressed that he wasn't breathing correctly and that his heart was racing, and so on - i.e. it would have totally the wrong effect.

 

I would have thought that some basic relaxation techniques like breathing slowly, relaxing the shoulders, or even yoga might be more beneficial than a computer - personal opinion though.

 

Maybe someone else has tried it?

 

Barefoot

[pingu]

he'd start thinking 'too hard' about his heartbeat and get stressed that he wasn't breathing correctly and that his heart was racing, and so on - i.e. it would have totally the wrong effect.

 

this sums up how i think K will react to be honest. but i am willing for them to try. more to see what does actually happen.

 

We regularly use relaxation after a bad meltdown, but thats the only time he's in the mood because he has exhausted himself. I havent as yet managed to get him to calm down during the day. even after a meltdown, after we have done the heartbeat thing (which has to be done in his room whilst talking about colours) and he has calmed down mentally, he is still very physically active, usually going off for a good stim.

 

Ill be curious to see what happens.

shaz

[Guest Lya of the Nox]

doubt it would work with meggzie, cos once she gone it has to run it course

but will ask her to look and see what she thinks

x

 

just asked and she says it would stress her out being attached to her

but we are all different

x

Edited September 26, 2007 by Lya of the Nox

[paulathomson]

i suffer terribly with panic attacks and i know how my body works and why it has the sensations it has when im in an anxious state/panic attacks.. but sometimes the more i think about it the worse i become and im NT. this is not always the case and deep breathing exercises are on the whole beneficial.

 

i think that it is worth a try. it might work for your child it might not. and at the end of the day you havent lost anything and if it does help then it will be a plus.

[Cat]

My 20 year old highly verbal AS son would be terrified out of his wits by something like this and so I reckon would my 10 year old HFA son. They would both worry about their heart and how it was beating and with the elder in particular it would become a major stressor and source of anxiety. Not to mention that it would probably overtake his life and that he would not be able to stand having anything attached to his finger.

 

This sounds like a brilliant thing for NT adults who have the ability to understand all that goes with the programme and how it works. I doubt many NT children would 'get this' without worrying so I would not let my autistic son anywhere near it - unless of course they have talked this through with the correctly trained professionals. Have they for example been given this idea by the autism outreach team or ed psy. I have never heard of this being used for ASD children before and if I were you I would be asking some VIP autism specific professionals before they give it the once over on my son.

 

Cat

[pingu]

Hi cat.

 

have never heard of this being used for ASD children before and if I were you I would be asking some VIP autism specific professionals before they give it the once over on my son

 

I am going back up today (to the school) so i will ask her what they call the programme. when i asked yesterday how it was going to work on someone like kieran, who doesnt understand emotions, and cant really "feel" she just said. it hadnt been used for kids with autism YET. usually its for anger management. ????

 

shaz

[Guest Lya of the Nox]

see anger management and autistic meltdowns are 2 completely different things, an i wonder if they need that pointing out to them??

[Cat]

 

If this programme is for anger management then they are going to experiment on your son. No way would I let them.

 

Cat

[smiley]

Errrrrrrrmmmmmmmmm

 

I'm using it! *Ninja Smiley!!!*

 

Definately not used only for anger management (though i should think being calmer would help peeps with anger problems..??). I don't have an angry bone in my body! Quite the opposite in fact.

 

[Cat]

Well if they can't even mange to get the info correct about what the programme is for ...............................................

 

No more to say really.

 

Cat